Pa. auditor general calls out school district transportation funding errors

HARRISBURG (KYW Newsradio) -- Pennsylvania’s Auditor General Eugene DePasquale says school districts are receiving incorrect transportation reimbursements; and that sloppy record-keeping is preventing him from finding exactly how much money is involved.

DePasquale says 42 school district audits completed since July 2015 found $8.4 million in incorrect state reimbursement for transportation costs.

Most of that figure involves districts being overpaid but nearly $3.7 million represented underpayments.

“Because local taxpayers pay the difference, it’s essential that school districts receive exactly what they are owed,” he said.

DePasquale says the total tally of incorrect payments could be much higher since the more than $8 million figure was derived from less than a tenth of the state’s 500 districts.

He also identified six districts – including Springfield Township in Montgomery County and Garnet Valley in Delaware County – lacking documentation for transportation reimbursements.